I shot this almost 7 years ago at the viewing for my friend who drowned while on vacation in Hawaii. He was a police officer and had served in the US Air Force. He was survived by his wife and his 3 children. His two young boys were escorted up to the casket by his close friend.

I've often wondered how people would respond to me bringing out my camera during funeral services. As painful as the services can be though, I've found just about everyone is grateful for the photos because it gives them a chance to see moments they might have missed in their grief. And those moments reflect how much the person they cared about was truly loved by others.

Shot with a Nikon D750 and a Nikon 28-300mm f/4-5.6 zoom lens. Exposure was 1/80 sec at f/4 and ISO 1000 using available light. Focal length was zoomed to 120mm.